Last updated: November 20, 2025

USCIS Welcomes 818,500 New Citizens in FY 2024: A Look at Naturalization Trends

In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalized 818,500 new citizens, marking a 7% decrease compared to the previous year. However, this still represents a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels, with the three-year total surpassing 2.6 million.

Monthly and Regional Trends

Throughout FY 2024, USCIS performed naturalizations at recovered, pre-pandemic levels, surpassing the 2010-2019 average of 730,100 naturalizations annually. The breakdown across months reveals steady activity, with the highest number of naturalizations occurring in September (72,900), followed closely by May (76,300).

At the regional level, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Newark, and San Francisco accounted for 3.3% of total naturalizations, underscoring the concentration of population growth in major immigrant-dense areas.

Top Countries of Birth

Among the top five countries of birth for new U.S. citizens in FY 2024:

• Mexico led with 13.1% of naturalizations.

• Other notable countries included India (6.1%), the Philippines (5.0%), the Dominican Republic (4.9%), and Vietnam (4.1%). Together, these top five countries made up 33% of all naturalized citizens.

Naturalization by Age and Gender

The median age for new citizens in FY 2024 was 42 years. More than 37% of new citizens were between 30-44 years old. Women accounted for 55.1% of new naturalized citizens, highlighting their growing presence across all age groups.

The youngest cohort, aged 18-24, accounted for 8.1% of the naturalizations. At the other end, 23 individuals over the age of 100 were granted citizenship in FY 2024.

Naturalization Eligibility and Class of Admission

Most applicants naturalizing in FY 2024 met the 5-year Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) requirement under INA Section 316(a), accounting for 83.8% of naturalizations. The 3-year LPR rule, often applicable to spouses of U.S. citizens under INA Section 319(a), made up 14% of naturalizations.

Other applicants, such as those with military service during a period of hostilities, accounted for a smaller portion (2%) of the total.

Fee Waiver Trends

The financial burden of naturalization applications was mitigated for 14.3% of applicants who received a fee waiver in FY 2024. Fee waivers were more common among females (9.0%) compared to males (5.3%). Notably, citizens over 65 were the demographic with the highest number of fee waivers (3.9%).

State and City Distribution

The largest number of naturalized citizens in FY 2024 came from California (150,200), Florida (93,300), and New York (87,100). This distribution highlights the continued role of immigrant hubs in major urban centers.

The top cities for naturalization included Miami (17,700), Brooklyn (16,500), and the Bronx (12,100), confirming the prominence of areas with large immigrant communities.

The Path to U.S. Citizenship

The process of naturalization is long and varied, with most individuals completing 7.5 years as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). The median length of time spent as an LPR varies by country, with Mexico taking the longest at 10.9 years and Nigeria the shortest at 5.4 years.

CREDIT: Naturalization in the United States: A Source-Based Overview